


No Soul Left in Hell

by for_t2



Category: Warrior Nun (TV)
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Asking the Tough Theological Questions, Curiosity, F/F, Hope, Humor, Minor J.C./Ava Silva, Nuns, Paralysis, Phasing Through Walls, Soulmates, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-14 05:20:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29662353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/for_t2/pseuds/for_t2
Summary: Growing up in an abusive orphanage didn't leave Ava with a lot of hope of finding her soulmate, but having to fight against literal demons, well, that turned out to be a little different
Relationships: Sister Beatrice/Ava Silva
Comments: 12
Kudos: 110





	No Soul Left in Hell

It was, as Ava should’ve suspected, too much to hope for. As she did suspect, really, or as some part of her suspected, some part of her brain that whispered to her when no one else would, that made her want, need to squirm and squirm until the only way out was crying because she couldn’t. Because she’d never.

And, of course, she couldn’t cry either. Sister Frances didn’t approve. Sister Frances never approved.

And, in the end, it turned out the world wasn’t like the TV reruns she had to watch over and over, where turning 18, where getting your soulmark, changed everything. Cured everything. Where everyone got to live happily ever after.

Ava had heard that getting your soulmark was supposed to hurt. That the day where the ink traced itself under your skin made you burn, made you sore for a week (some people even said you’d stay sore forever if you never found your soulmate).

But Ava didn’t feel a thing.

She could barely even remember what it was like to feel something.

And today, she was 18.

“Sister Frances?” She finally managed to squeak out as the nun passed by her bed to make sure her glass of water was empty before light out. “Sister Frances?”

It took the nun a second before turning to acknowledge Ava’s voice. Before answering strictly and shortly. “What do you want now?”

“Can I, um…” Ava had managed to keep herself from crying today. So far. “You know it’s… it’s my birthday today, and… and can I see it?”

The nun fixed her with a look that betrayed no expression. After a second, she scoffed. “Don’t be silly.”

*****

Ava couldn’t stop herself from laughing. She had just passed through a wall. A literal wall. Of stone and brick and paint and stone. A literal fucking wall. And she just passed right through it, as if it wasn’t there. Or as if she wasn’t there, which was a interesting philosophical question which implied lots of… she had passed through a fucking wall!

And landed in a football shop. Lots of cleats and shirts and lots of sports stuff around her. The universe had a twisted sense of irony. Or maybe it was her mind that had a twisted sense of irony, because this had to be a dream, but it felt so so so real.

Either way, she could figure that out later. First, she needed to take advantage of it. She needed to enjoy it. While she still could. Because she could walk and run and do whatever she wanted and she was free and the nuns couldn’t catch her and…

“Holy shit.”

The realisation hit her like a brick (an expression she wasn’t sure she wanted to experience literally). She could do anything she wanted. Anything. Absolutely anything.

She could see her soulmark.

She could find her soulmate.

She wasted no time in searching her body. It could’ve ended up anywhere. She got lost for a minute in poking her body before she found it, ink traced elegantly across her left shin. It was… words? And not words she recognised. “Is that… Latin?”

*****

“I mean,” Ava wasn’t really thinking too hard about it. “When you really think about it, what is love? What even is a soulmate?”

“Hmm.” J.C. didn’t answer her question, just hummed distractedly as he leaned back on the sofa with Ava. “Depends who you ask.”

“Like, my soulmark is in Latin.” Maybe Ava was a little distracted too, what with his arms around her and her arms around him and his shirt being in a current state of unbuttonedness. “Does that mean I’m supposed to end up with a historian? With a philosopher? With someone from Italy?” Shit, she could pass through walls, what if she could pass through time too? Was she supposed to be time travelling? “Oh god, I hope it’s not somebody boring.” Imagine if it was somebody who just sat around all day with their face stuffed in some stuffy books. “What if it is a philosopher?”

J.C. pondered the question for a few seconds before answering. “Does it matter?” Before grinning. “I say you make the universe give you the soulmate you want.”

“Hm.” Ava had to nod in agreement. J.C. may not have had the same soulmark as her, but he did have great abs. “Yeah.”

Like, really great abs. Not too hard, not too soft, just perfect for Ava’s hands. The feeling of them under her fingers had to be the best thing she had ever-- 

Oh.

Fuck that, the feeling of his hands under her shirt, on her back had to-- 

Fuck that, the feeling of his hands tracing down to-- 

*****

The last place Ava would’ve expected to end up was back with nuns. But at least these ones weren’t trying to kill her. Or, at least, when these ones were trying to kill her, it felt friendly.

“Whoa!” Ava flinched as the next swing of Lilith’s staff passed right through her. “Calm down!” If Ava’s reflexes hadn’t kicked in just in time… Lilith was kinda scary. Shit, this whole thing with the halo and nuns and vampire slayers (or whatever the nun equivalent was) was kinda scary. “Calm…”

Lilith’s next blow also passed right through her.

And so the one after that.

It made Lilith frown.

It made Ava chuckle. Okay, maybe being able to phase through walls made it a little less scary. If she kept up this training, maybe she could even get to the point where nothing would phase her. “You know, you still haven’t answered my question.”

Lilith paused for a moment to catch her breath. To glare at Ava. “I chose not to dignify it with an answer.”

“Oh, come on.” Ava glanced around the church. “What about that guy?” Pointed at one of the statues. Another bearded dude in a holy pose. “Who was his soulmate?”

Lilith sighed deeply (very deeply). “Ava, the saints—”

“Wait.” The question hit Ava like Lilith wasn’t managing to do. “Does this mean Jesus had a soulmate?”

*****

“Ava, I understand that you’re curious, but…” Beatrice glanced sideways for a second as she tried to find the words. “But you have to understand that we’re nuns. We swore to uphold the Order’s vows. The Order’s strict vows.”

“Ugh.” Okay, so maybe it might’ve been a little insensitive for Ava to run around asking all the nuns (and Father Vincent) if she could see their soulmarks, but curiosity wasn’t a sin. Or, at least, she didn’t think it was a sin. She hoped it wasn’t a sin. But then, did it matter if it was a sin? “That sucks.”

“In this case,” Beatrice smirked. Or, at least, it looked like Beatrice smirked. She was a lot more subtle than Ava at these types of things. “I think you’ll find that it doesn’t suck.”

Yup, she smirked. It threw Ava very off guard.

“But I can’t say that I regret my vows.” Beatrice was back to serious before Ava could get back on guard. “I don’t think any of us in the Order do.”

“But… But…” Ava was still trying to focus again. “But you deserve a soulmate. You deserve someone who’s going to love you like that. I mean, you’re…” How was Ava supposed to describe Beatrice? “You’re amazing.”

Beatrice smiled. Sadly.

A part of Ava instantly panged. She really hoped she didn’t say anything wrong. Not to Beatrice. “Did I say something wrong?”

"No." Beatrice shook her head. Smiled again, smaller and sadder. “It's just... I'm afraid it’s more complicated than that.”

*****

Maybe it would’ve been a good idea to rest before a big mission. Before infiltrating the fucking Vatican. Maybe. Ava would find out tomorrow.

But, for now, for the night before, she couldn’t sleep. And she was so immensely grateful that it didn’t seem Beatrice couldn’t sleep either. Not that she wanted Beatrice to be exhausted for the mission, of course, just that… she liked talking to Beatrice.

“You know what?” Ava stopped still in the middle of her pacing. “I’ve decided. We’re not going to die tomorrow.” Beatrice smiled at her, and that just pushed Ava further. “We can’t die tomorrow. We haven’t found our soulmates yet.”

Beatrice chuckled softly. “There are plenty of stories where the soulmarks end in tragedy.”

Ava contemplated the bookshelves lining the walls of the room. The many books with thick leather bindings on them that Ava had never read. “So?”

“All I’m saying is that I admire your optimism.”

“Well yeah,” Ava shrugged. Maybe she should ask Beatrice to read some of them to her. That could be fun. Beatrice had a very nice reading voice. “I admire my optimism too.” Ava flopped down onto the sofa as Beatrice chuckled again. She nudged. “Plus, Sister Beatrice of the Order of the Cruciform Sword, I think we’re just too awesome to die.”

Beatrice was the one to shrug this time. “Well, Ava Silva, Halo Bearer of the Order of the Cruciform Sword, we are pretty awesome aren’t we?”

Ava grinned, and temporarily forgot about the Order’s rule about swearing (a rule that she tended to temporarily forget about a lot). “Hell yeah!”

*****

Ava was totally going to die.

There were a lot of evil demon-possessed zombie people.

A lot.

Like, enough to freak out even Mother Superion. Enough to freak out Beatrice.

And definitely more than enough to freak Ava out.

Which meant that a strategic retreat was… That running for their fucking lives was a fucking brilliant plan. They barely had time to get just out of sight of the possessed and behind the barest cover before Ava’s mind started racing for another plan. For what would come next in their plan. They needed a plan. “Holy…” She needed to think of… She didn’t have time to finish swearing before she caught sight of the others. “Holy shit!”

Beatrice doubled over, trying to catch her breath, but still managed to find a measure of composure. “Ava, as much as I admit—”

“No, no, no. I mean…” Ava interrupted her before she could finish admonishing Ava’s swearing. She grabbed Beatrice’s arm. Looked down. “Holy shit.”

Beatrice followed her gaze. Her eyes landed on her legs. On her torn robes. On the ink visible through the tears. On the mark.

Ava didn’t have time to blink before Beatrice blushed. Before she started ripping a piece of cloth off to cover it. “Bea.”

Beatrice stopped at the tone in Ava’s voice. At the way Ava rolled up her own robes. At the way her mark was the same as Ava’s. For a moment, Beatrice stared at it in silence, before looking up to meet Ava’s eyes. “Holy shit.”

**Author's Note:**

> Inspiration for the title taken from Psalm 16: 9-11 :
> 
> "Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope/For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption/Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore"


End file.
